Curry-comb and brush



(No Model.)

F. L. LEWIS. CUR-RY 00MB AND BRUSH.

No. 439,668. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

UNITED STATES f PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L.-LEVIS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

CURRY-COMB AND BRUSH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,668, dated November 4, 1890. Application filed December 16, 1889. Serial No. 333,854. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. LEWIS, of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and i State of Minnesota, have invented a certain Improvement in Curry-Combs and Brushes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to curry-combs and brushes used in cleaning the dirt, dust, and dandruif from horses and other animals; and it consists, generally, in the construction and combination hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved currier with a comb inserted ready for use. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same looking from the bottom up and With a portion broken away, showing the means of connecting the brush or comb shaft in place. Fig. 3 is avertical section through the line @c x of Fig. 1, with a brush inserted instead of a comb. Figs. 4 and 5 are details.

The frame of my device consists of a horizontal plate 2, upon the upper side of which is the stud 3, formed integrally therewith, upon which the master-wheel 5 is loosely pinioned,resting on the shoulder4. The masterwheel 5 is provided with a suitable handle 38 for rotating it, which is preferably attached near the periphery thereof. The upper end of the stud 3 is preferably made smaller and screw-threaded to receive the nut 6 for holding the master-wheel in place. As a part of the frame, and preferably constructed integrally with the plate 2, are the two downwardly-projecting flanges 7 and 8 and the horizontallyprojecting arm 9. Upon the horizontal projection 9 is securely fastened the handle 10 by means of the bolt 11,'passing through the handle and the projecting arm, and the stay-brace 12, extending from the upper end of the handle to the projecting arm and securely fastened thereto.

The flange 7 is formed with a projecting stud 13, carrying the gear-Wheel 14, which is preferably constructed with two faces, one 15 being beveled so as to mesh with a similarlybeveled gear on the underside and a part of the master-wheel 5, and the other face 16 being adapted to mesh with the pinion 17 directly beneath it. The stud 13 is also provided with the shoulder 1S and a screwthreaded end adapted to receive the nut 19 for holding the gear-wheel 14 in place.

Near the lower end of the flange 7 is an opening to admit the shaft 20 and to act asa bearing for it. The pinion 17 is keyed to the shaft 20 by the key 21, the inner end of said shaft being provided with the shoulder 22, forming a bearing on the inner surface of the iiange 7, and the bifurcated end 23, adapted to receive the iiattened end of the shaft 24, and provided with the coupling-pin 25, which is so constructed as to project on each side of the branches of the bifurcated end, so as t0 engage with corresponding slots in the end plate 26 of the brush 27 or the comb 36. The shaft 24 has at its other end a detachable bearing 28, provided on its upper side with the stud 29, and the dowels 30, adapted to enter holes in the under side of the flange 8, Which is also provided with a set-screw 31 for holding the detachable bearing in place by screwing it down upon the stud 29, the dowels 30 preventing the bearing from being turned on the stud 29.

In the construction of the brush and comb I prefer to have a hollow cylindrical core 32, of any suitable material, adapted to receive the shaft 24, and provided at its ends with the caps 26 and 33 rigidly secured thereto. On the outer surface of this cylinder may be secured bristles, wire, or other suitable material 35, i

forming a cylindrical brush, or a metallic plate 36 or series of metallic plates having the edges notched, formingthe teeth of an ordinary comb. l prefer in constructing the comb to take one or more of these plates and by winding them about and attaching them to the cylinder with the notched edges out form a spiral comb, as shown in Fig. 2. My object in using a spiral comb is to overcome the objection to the ordinary comb-bearing surface, which is such that it will not penetrate throughthe hair to the dirt and dust underneath and next to the skin. In the spiral comb, by reason of its relative position to the rotative motion around the shaft 24, each tooth is caused to penetrate directly down through the hair; but together they have the effect of carrying out to one side the dirt and dust thereby dislodged.

In operation the detachable bearing 2S being removed, the shaft 24 is lowered to the IOO position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, being held in connection by the coupling-pin hinge 25, the brush 27, or, if desired, the comb 36 is then placed upon the shaftl 24,and detachable bearing 28 is then returned toits horizontal position and located in place by the set-screw 31. The device is then held loosely upon the animal to be cleaned, one hand holding the handle 10 and the other operating the device by means of the handle 38 on the master-Wheel 5, which, on being made to revolve aboutthe stud 3, sets gears 14 and 17 in motion and causes the brush or comb to revolve.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination, with the frame 9, of a 1naster-wheel 5, carrying a bevelgear on its under side adapted to rotate the pinion 17 by the gear 14, the gear-wheels 14 and I7, the shaft 20, the shaft '24, hinged to the shaft 2O and adapted to receive a cylindrical brush or comb, and the detachable bearing 28, supporting the shaft 24, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a frame supporting suitable mechanism, of a shaft 20, rotated by saidmechanism, a shaft 24, pivotally hin ged to one end of said shaft 2O and adapted to re ceive a cylindrical brush or comb, and a locking device whereby the shaft 24 may be locked in alignment with the shaft 20, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination,in a device of the class described having a carrying-frame, of a master-Wheel pivotally supported upon said frame and carrying a bevel-gear, a doublefaced gear-wheel pivotally supported upon said frame, one face of said gear-Wheel cngaging the bevel-gear of the master-Wheel and the other face engaging with a pinion beneath the same, a pinion meshing with one face of the double-faced gear, a horizontal shaft keyed to said pinion at one end and provided With a hinged extension-shaft at the other end to receive a cylindrical brush or comb, a detachable bearing to receive the loose end of the extension-shaft, and means for locking said detachable bearing firmly in the supporting-frame, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of November, 1.889.

FRANK L. LEWIS. In presence of- A. C. PAUL, A. M. GAsKILL. 

